The end of the current decade is coming to an end, and I’m ready to put 2019 behind me. In fact, I’m more than ready. 2019 was a test of patience and self-realization, with the vaping industry being attacked, on all fronts, like no industry has never seen before. This caused somewhat of an identity crisis within the industry, not quite knowing the best way to proceed against the barrage of lies, false studies, and slander that was thrown their way. In this fight, many were lost. Company after company had to close their doors from regulation, as well as lack of sales from the false fear-mongering the media was purporting to the public. This ended up affecting sales across the world, and not just the US. And as we’re coming to an end, the future is more uncertain than ever. Will the PMTA process be removed or re-made? Will they just outright ban flavored e-liquid products? Will more states enact full VAPOR bans, like in the case of Massachusetts? While I don’t have the answer, what I’m am certain of is the drive and ingenuity of the hobbyist vapor.
I’m also certain I will continue to make e-liquid on DIYorDIE. And I’m certain many of you will too. This means I’m certain that I will continue to give you all content to enjoy while you’re mixing. And with that, I want to talk about some of my resolutions for next year…in terms of mixing. I usually like to change things up here at DIYorDIE, almost annually. With another coming, I feel some change is needed. So here are some of the things I’ve promised to attempt in 2020.
Pushing Boundaries
I spoke about this earlier this year, about how I felt I’ve catered my recipes more towards the “beginner” or the “simplest”. Well in 2020, I want to head back to more intricate, more advanced, more boundary pushing recipes. Recipes that might have a bit less appeal, but more artistic integrity and value. The main reason being I feel I covered almost everything there is to know about simple recipe development. Where there is so much more to cover with advanced dev. But ultimately, I want to move back to creating more boundary pushing recipes, taking flavor profiles to the brink, and seeing what comes of it. I had such a fun time building my latest White Mocha Peppermint, where I needed to utilize the more abstract parts of my brain, and think outside the box. I want to make more recipes in this vein. And I can only hope you’ll enjoy what the end result is.
Flavor Notes:
Of course, one of my goal is to continue the FlavorBook. This project seems like it will never end, but I will trudge on. One thing I want to make a point of, is that I don’t want to focus too much on individual flavorings this year. The insane barrage of flavor notes we got on DIYorDIE, Reddit, and other forums, felt like way too much. I could tell a lot of mixers were getting bored of seeing them. While I will continue producing notes, I don’t want them to take up too much space. Rather, I want to delegate them for those who are looking for them, and keep much of the attention on recipe development. This might not make much sense now, while you’re reading this. But you will soon understand what I mean by this in the future.
Newsletter:
I want to bring back the weekly newsletter. Now, you’ll be able to get this newsletter in two ways. One, of course, your email. But the other will be through my app. What this newsletter will do is bring you a summary of the content from the week. It’s an easy way to get the content you love, in the most efficient way possible.
Hardware:
I realized that a lot mixers are still fixated on getting the best hardware to experience their recipes in the best possible way. I had a blast reviewing some of the products I did in 2019, and I want to take my reviews a bit further. Remember, I mainly focus on flavor reproduction and accuracy, and that will set me apart from any other reviewer. I’ll be taking a much more analytical approach to reviews, as opposed to the “general” experience almost all other reviewers cover. If you want to see specific products, feel free to leave them in the comments.
The Masterclass:
This is a project I’ve spoken about many times recently, and I’m sure you’re well aware of it. I’m expecting to drop the Masterclass in Q1 of 2020, so expect to see it soon. This project was a massive undertaking, cost a lot of money, and is my gift to the vaping industry. My resolution is not only to finally release it to the community, but also ensure it is the defacto on-ramp for anyone looking to get into DIY mixing.
Project ShadowCalc:
Yes…this is the app I’ve been developing over the last few months. It’s still in its development phase, but I’m hoping to get out a beta by the time the Masterclass is released. This will then be packaged with the Masterclass, so anyone who buys it, also receives the app. I don’t want to chat too much about it. We are building a whole release plan, and you will know more about it in due time. Just know, it’s an actual thing.
The Podcast:
InTheMix ended quite some time ago. Many people still miss the days of our antics. Good news is that I’ll be returning to the podcast format! This podcast, though, will not cover just vaping. And will take a look at corruption throughout out state and the world. I’m very excited for you all to hear this newly produced show I created.
So these are some of the things I really want to focus on in 2020. Of course, I’ll still be creating a lot of the same content you know and love. And I also want to take a bit more time making sure you all are updated on news and advocacy, since many will be joining DIY because of regulation. But I’m very excited for the future. I think vaping currently, is in a very precarious position, but with the UK taking the lead on harm reduction, and more and more media outlets are covering the insane policy and corruption, there is hope to be had. And with the DIY scene always unwavering, we are in the best spot to ensure that vaping stays on the course of creative expression and harm reduction, rather than hype marketing, and booth babes.